Validation of Nova 27 ultra-processed food screener

Adaptation and performance in Ecuador

Bibliographic Data

ID15093438
AuthorsWilma B Freire (0000-0002-8048-6826, Institute for Research in Health and Nutrition, Universidad San Francisco de Quito), Betzabé Tello (0000-0001-5890-6436, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador), Philippe Belmont Guerrón (0000-0003-2057-8873, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume28
Issue1
Pagese105-e105
Publication date2025-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePublic Health Nutrition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1368-9800 • E-ISSN: 1475-2727
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1368980025100475
PMID40462657
OpenAlexW4411038639
LanguageEN
References cited15

Objective: This study aimed to adapt and validate the NOVA 27 ultra-processed food (UPF) Screener for use in Ecuador by identifying commonly consumed foods, classifying them using the NOVA system and testing the screener’s validity in an urban sample and a national food survey. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two phases: screener validation with a convenience sample of 327 adults in Quito through an online questionnaire (2021) and assessment of its applicability using data from the 2012 Ecuadorian National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT-Ecu). The method, adapted from a similar study in Brazil, compared NOVA UPF scores to the 24 h-Recall (24-HR) automated multiple-pass method, used as the gold standard. Setting: The study included Quito’s urban population for validation and secondary data from ENSANUT-Ecu. Participants: Three hundred and twenty-seven adults aged 18–64 from Quito were included in the validation phase, and 3510 adults from the ENSANUT-Ecu dataset were analysed in the secondary analysis. Results: The screener adaptation identified twenty-seven subgroups of commonly consumed UPF, summarising 90 % of UPF energy intake. Validation results indicated significant agreement between the NOVA-UPF score and UPF intake, with PABAK indices above 0·8 for most socio-demographic groups. Higher NOVA-UPF scores corresponded to increased UPF dietary shares, mirroring patterns observed in the ENSANUT-Ecu dataset. Conclusions: The adapted NOVA 27 UPF Screener is a valid tool for assessing UPF intake in Ecuador, offering a practical resource for future dietary surveys to monitor and address UPF intake among Ecuadorian adults

Environmental health · Population · Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling · Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability · Medicine · Nutritional Studies and Diet

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